NWS Climate Services NCTP Regional Cores Fiona Horsfall NWS/OCWWS/Climate Services Division Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop Tallahassee,

NWS Climate Services NWS Climate Services

NCTPNCTP

Regional CoresRegional Cores

Fiona Horsfall NWS/OCWWS/Climate Services Division

Climate Prediction Applications Science WorkshopTallahassee, Florida

March 9, 2004

OutlineOutline

• NWS Climate Servcies

• NOAA Climate Transition Program

• Regional Climate Cores

• Summary

• Real-time monitoringReal-time monitoring• Forecasting products and servicesForecasting products and services• Models and technology, model outputModels and technology, model output• ObservationsObservations• Customer education, assistance, and Customer education, assistance, and

outreachoutreach

NWS CLIMATE SERVICESDefinition

• Real-time monitoringReal-time monitoring

of climate variability of climate variability

(including drought (including drought

conditions) coast to conditions) coast to

coast down to the coast down to the

county levelcounty level

NWS CLIMATE SERVICESVision

• New forecast productsNew forecast products– Linking weather and Linking weather and

climate on intraseasonal climate on intraseasonal time scalestime scales

– Downscaled to local Downscaled to local levelslevels

– Reflecting new insight Reflecting new insight into warm season into warm season precipitation, drought, precipitation, drought, and the Southwest and the Southwest monsoon (NAME)monsoon (NAME)

– Extending beyond a year Extending beyond a year to a decade or more to a decade or more


• User-friendly resourceUser-friendly resource to climate services to climate services middlemen and middlemen and providers (including the providers (including the private sector) of NWS private sector) of NWS

• climate modelsclimate models

• climate forecast climate forecast model output model output

• climate guidance climate guidance products products

• know-howknow-how


• Capacity to ensure the Capacity to ensure the accuracy and continuityaccuracy and continuity of the U.S. historical recordof the U.S. historical record


• Fully-mobilized regional Fully-mobilized regional and field officesand field offices for for– Customer outreachCustomer outreach– Downscaling climate Downscaling climate

forecastsforecasts– Product and information Product and information

disseminationdissemination– Integration and quality Integration and quality

control of surface control of surface observationsobservations


Forecasted Temperature (°F)

PO

F (

%)

NWS CLIMATE SERVICESNWS CLIMATE SERVICESImplementationImplementation

Regional Climate Services Program Managers in all Regional Climate Services Program Managers in all

six NWS regionssix NWS regions

Developing partnerships with RCCs and AASCDeveloping partnerships with RCCs and AASC

NWS Regional and Local Climate Services NWS Regional and Local Climate Services

Implementation Plan Released August 29, 2003Implementation Plan Released August 29, 2003

Climate Services Focal Points appointed in every Climate Services Focal Points appointed in every

field officefield office

Training developed Training developed

(www.nws.noaa.gov/om/csd/pds/index.html)(www.nws.noaa.gov/om/csd/pds/index.html)

Climate Services Focal Points appointed in Climate Services Focal Points appointed in

every field officeevery field office– NWS local experts on climate and climate NWS local experts on climate and climate

variabilityvariability– NWS customer interface for climate informationNWS customer interface for climate information– Local conscience of historical climate recordLocal conscience of historical climate record

NWS CLIMATE SERVICESNWS CLIMATE SERVICESImplementationImplementation

• 5 goals for plan for regional and local climate services

Goal 1: Organize and equip the regional and local offices with guidelines and tools to enhance climate services

Goal 2: Provide reliable, timely, accurate, and secure observations and metadata for the climate record

Goal 3: Enhance and extend Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) product suite to increase the use and effectiveness of regional and local climate information.

Goal 4: Conduct education and outreach to regional and local customers of climate services

Goal 5: Establish strong partnerships with the climate community to facilitate collaborations in the delivery of regional and local climate services

NWS Climate ServicesNWS Climate ServicesOperationsOperations

Goal 5: Establish strong partnerships Goal 5: Establish strong partnerships with the climate community to with the climate community to facilitate collaborations in thefacilitate collaborations in the delivery of regional and local delivery of regional and local

climate servicesclimate services

NOAA Climate Transition ProgramNOAA Climate Transition ProgramNCTPNCTP

• What is NCTP?What is NCTP?

– Represents a new way of doing business Represents a new way of doing business essentialessential to to advance delivery of climate servicesadvance delivery of climate services

– A model forA model for proposal-drivenproposal-driven, , transition to applicationstransition to applications of of research to expand regional/localresearch to expand regional/local climate services climate services

– Collaboratively developed between NWS and OAR/OGPCollaboratively developed between NWS and OAR/OGP– Provides opportunity to develop Provides opportunity to develop best partnerships best partnerships

between NOAA assets and with the external communitybetween NOAA assets and with the external community– Responds to NOAA’s vision forResponds to NOAA’s vision for “…service delivery “…service delivery

methods that continuously assess and respond to user methods that continuously assess and respond to user needs with the most reliable information possible.”needs with the most reliable information possible.”

NOAA Climate Transition ProgramNOAA Climate Transition Program

• What are the program benefits?

– Provides a mechanism for embedding research Provides a mechanism for embedding research sustainably into operationssustainably into operations

– Advances Advances scientific researchscientific research– Supports the next generation of Supports the next generation of decision-maker relevant decision-maker relevant

climate scienceclimate science– SupportsSupports interactive learninginteractive learning– Increases Increases scientific and operational capacityscientific and operational capacity– Develops Develops infrastructureinfrastructure– AdaptsAdapts as as demanddemand for climate services for climate services increasesincreases– Responds to Responds to user/decision-maker requirementsuser/decision-maker requirements– Results in Results in products that have valueproducts that have value to regional/local to regional/local

climate-sensitive decision-making processesclimate-sensitive decision-making processes – Competitive, but open to all Competitive, but open to all

NCTP Unit ModelNCTP Unit Model

Decision-makers

Decision-makers

PrototypeDevelopment

Transfer toOperations

ProblemIdentification

Education/Outreach

ResearchResearch OperationsOperations

ExtensionExtension

• Clearly defined rolesClearly defined roles

• Research Research

• Operations Operations

• Decision makerDecision maker

• ExtensionExtension

• DefinedDefined participant contributionsparticipant contributions

• Project management descriptionProject management description

NOAA Climate Transition ProgramNOAA Climate Transition Program Criteria for ProposalCriteria for Proposal

• Formal agreementFormal agreement between participants between participants

• Statement of Statement of duration and timelineduration and timeline

• Benefit analysisBenefit analysis (socio-economic and other (socio-economic and other quantative analyses, ecosystem benefits, etc.)quantative analyses, ecosystem benefits, etc.)

• Address Address post auditpost audit (validation, verification, (validation, verification, refinement, refinement, maintenancemaintenance))

• Expected Expected outcome clearly definedoutcome clearly defined

NOAA Climate Transition ProgramNOAA Climate Transition Program Criteria for Proposal cont’dCriteria for Proposal cont’d

• Good news!Good news!– NCTP is funded for FY05 (2-3 projects)NCTP is funded for FY05 (2-3 projects)

– Currently draftingCurrently drafting

• FRN (Federal Registry Notice)FRN (Federal Registry Notice)

• Announcement for position to manage programAnnouncement for position to manage program

• Brochure with proposal guidelinesBrochure with proposal guidelines



• What is the context within which NCTP What is the context within which NCTP functions?functions?– In an environment that allows for robust interaction In an environment that allows for robust interaction

between research, operations, and decision-making between research, operations, and decision-making communities communities

This requires the development of cohesive and This requires the development of cohesive and collaborative interactions among the climate collaborative interactions among the climate community to enhance knowledge, maximize community to enhance knowledge, maximize opportunities and limit redundancyopportunities and limit redundancy

The Climate Research-Services The Climate Research-Services Conveyor BeltConveyor Belt

Research

NCTP

Operations/Decision-makers

InformationGathering andDissemination

Regional Climate CoresRegional Climate Cores

• Cores for Regional CollaborationCores for Regional Collaboration• Region domain defined by issues, not

politics• Regional meetings/conferences

– Standardized format for meeting structure– NOAA resource management– Contracted out to local assets, eg., RISAs, RCCs,

SCs, universities, self-selecting– Frequency defined by participants

CORE

SCs

RCC

NOAA

Federal* research

Coordination/managementNWS

NESDIS

NOS

NMFS

OAR RISAs

Non-profit

Private Sector

Extension

Academia

State entities

Federal* operations

PPI

CountyOffices *Non-NOAA


Regional Climate CoreRegional Climate Core FunctionsFunctions

• Share regional/local Share regional/local sciencescience

• Identify policy issuesIdentify policy issues• Identify operational Identify operational

issuesissues• Facilitate transitions of Facilitate transitions of

research to operationsresearch to operations• Maintain dialogue for Maintain dialogue for

regional issuesregional issues

• Share regional/local Share regional/local sciencescience

• Identify policy issuesIdentify policy issues• Identify operational Identify operational

issuesissues• Facilitate transitions of Facilitate transitions of

research to operationsresearch to operations• Maintain dialogue for Maintain dialogue for

regional issuesregional issues

• Review consistencies Review consistencies across regionsacross regions

• Establish Establish collaborationscollaborations

• Set planning guidelinesSet planning guidelines• Communicate funding Communicate funding

opportunitiesopportunities• Make recommendations Make recommendations

for regional/local for regional/local prioritiespriorities

• Review consistencies Review consistencies across regionsacross regions

• Establish Establish collaborationscollaborations

• Set planning guidelinesSet planning guidelines• Communicate funding Communicate funding

opportunitiesopportunities• Make recommendations Make recommendations

for regional/local for regional/local prioritiespriorities

• A 3-step processA 3-step process– Gather information, needsGather information, needs

• Regional conferencesRegional conferences• Domain defined by issues, not politicsDomain defined by issues, not politics

– Develop a capacity for workingDevelop a capacity for working• ResearchResearch• FundingFunding• TransferTransfer• OperationsOperations• ExtensionExtension

– Delivery and improvementDelivery and improvement


SummarySummary

• NWS Climate Services – NWS Climate Services – Leveraging regions Leveraging regions and field to develop customer interfaces for and field to develop customer interfaces for delivery of climate servicesdelivery of climate services

• NCTP and Regional Climate CoresNCTP and Regional Climate Cores

– Provide mechanism for research needs identification Provide mechanism for research needs identification and transition to operationsand transition to operations

– Enable collaborations with national, regional and local Enable collaborations with national, regional and local climate communitiesclimate communities

– Develop effective partnerships for decision-maker Develop effective partnerships for decision-maker relevant climate research and service deliveryrelevant climate research and service delivery

Documents

NWS Climate Services NCTP Regional Cores Fiona Horsfall NWS/OCWWS/Climate Services Division Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop Tallahassee,